Timeline. Facebook defines Timeline as “…your collection of the photos, stories, and experiences that tell your story.” Timelines have replaced the older Facebook profile page; and if you’re Facebook is still set up with the old layout, it won’t be for long. Facebook plans on slowly integrating the new look into all profiles this year.

Below are just a few of the things you can do on a timeline:

Add a cover

Edit your basic personal info

Explore your timeline

Edit your timeline

View your activity log

Star stories you want to highlight

See highlights from each month

Update your status

Add life events

Share photos

View and add photos

Share your app activity

Add a cover. To add a cover (the large picture at the top of your timeline), go to your timeline, click on “Add a Cover,” upload a new photo or pick a photo from an existing album, reposition photo on page, click “Save.”

What’s the difference between a cover photo and profile picture? Your profile picture is the photo people see next to your name. Your cover is the large image at the top of your timeline. Both are public, which means everyone can see them.

Edit basic personal info. This includes Basic Info (gender, birthday, languages, political and religious views), Contact Info, Work and Education, Living (hometown and current city), Relationship, Family, Favorite Quotations, About You, and History by Year.

To update, click on the “Update Info” button under your cover on your timeline and “Edit” button to the right of the section you want updated. Make sure to click “Done with Editing” when finished.

Explore your timeline. You can scroll through your timeline, or use the menu of dates on the right side of your timeline, to jump from year to year. For example, if you want to see what was going on in your life in August of 2007, all you have to do is click 2007 and then click Aug from the list of months that appear below 2007. You can also click on the “Activity Log” button on your timeline, below your cover.

Edit your timeline. You can edit your timeline by clicking on an event under Update Info or by following the instructions in the following paragraphs.

View your activity log. Your activity log is a list of your posts and activities from today back to the very beginning. You’ll also see stories and photos you’ve been tagged in, as well as the connections you’ve made – like when you liked a Page or added someone as a friend. To access your activity log click the “Activity Log” button on your timeline, below your cover.

Star stories you want to highlight. To star a story on your timeline, hover over a story on your timeline, then click on the star. Starring a story allows you to highlight the stories you think are important. When you star a story, the story expands to widescreen. Starred stories are always visible on your timeline.

See highlights from each month. To view highlights from each month, from your timeline below your cover, click on “Activity Log.” You will see a star on the right side of each highlighted story.

Update your status. From the share menu located at the top of your timeline, click on “Status.” Add any details you want to add. Use the gray menu at the bottom of the box to tag friends, pick a date for the story, add a location, choose who can see the post. Things you share will appear as posts on your timeline and can appear in News Feed.

Add life events. From the share menu located at the top of your timeline, click on “Life Event.” Add any details you want to add. Use the gray menu at the bottom of the box to tag friends, pick a date for the story, add a location, choose who can see the post. You can also scroll to a spot on your timeline and click “+” to post a story to a specific date, or highlight stories you find in your activity log by selecting “Starred on Timeline.” Things you share will appear as posts on your timeline and can appear in News Feed.

Share photos. From the share menu located at the top of your timeline, click on “Photo.” Choose Upload Photo/Video, Use Webcam, or Create Photo Album. Add any details you want to add. Use the gray menu at the bottom of the box to tag friends, pick a date for the story, add a location, choose who can see the post. Things you share will appear as posts on your timeline and can appear in News Feed.

View and add photos. To upload photos, click “Add Photo/Video” at the top of your Home page. Click “Create Photo Album.” Pick the image files you want to upload. To pick multiple photos at once, hold down the Control button on your PC, or the Command button on your Mac, while clicking the image files. While your files are uploading, add an album title and description, use the audience selector to choose who can see the album, add captions, tags, and locations to photos as each one finishes uploading. Check the progress bar to see the estimated remaining time for your album upload. Once it’s complete, click Post Photos.

To add new photos to an existing album. To Add new photos to an existing album, go to the album that you want to add photos to, click the “Add Photos button,” pick the image files you want to upload, and continuing following the instructions, above.

Share your app activity. When you give an app permission to add activity to your timeline, that activity may also appear in News Feed. Depending on your privacy settings, your app activity may also be visible to other people using the app, on your timeline, or on the app’s website. Your friends and the other people you share information with can also share your activity with apps they use. You can turn off the ability for others to share your app activity and remove an app story from your timeline and activity log, through Privacy Settings. I’ll be going over how to do that next week.

Why should I share my app activity with friends? Adding an app to your timeline lets you express who you are through the things you do, and sharing your app activity helps your friends get to know you better and lets them discover things like new music, cooking, games, etc.

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Remember, timeline is what profile used to be. It contains everything about you in one spot and can be accessed and edited in various ways. You can always control what’s on your timeline and who can see it by using the means exampled above, or through Privacy Settings. As a writer, timeline is an exciting way of being able to share with others who we are and what we do.